Garnet made a shooing motion with her hands.
“Come along with you.” Sam used the tone and expression he used when his sons bordered on being stubborn. Garnet’s cheeks flushed, and she bowed her head—but she started toward the door. Samuel followed close on her heels, then shut the door behind them. “There’s a spot I’ve always taken the boys to. ’Tis wider and more shallow than where we fetch the water by the house, so ’tis a better place to allow them to frolic. Ethan and Hester can enjoy themselves quite safely. This way.”
Reaching the stream took no time at all, but Samuel led her almost fifty yards farther downstream. He sat on a log he’d placed there long ago and patted the spot beside him. “We can watch the children from here.”
Garnet smiled at the sight of Ethan kicking water at Chris-topher. She started toward the stream, but Samuel halted her. “Sit. We need to talk.”
Wariness painted her features. Slowly, she sat on the log—almost a yard away.
“Erasmus Ryder holds a grudge against me. In his anger, he insinuated you and I have. . .sinned.”
The widow’s cheeks blazed; then suddenly the color drained away, and her lower lip quivered ever so slightly before she bit it. Her hand shook as she reached for the slate. Slowly, she formed the letters and gave it back to him. I will leaf.
“No! Absolutely not.”
The saddest smile he’d ever seen lifted the corners of her mouth as her head bobbed up and down.
“There’s no reason at all for you to leave and every reason to stay. You’ve made my house a home, and because of your presence, Hester is with us. I’ve been desperate to bring her home. After seeing how Dorcas and Erasmus behave, surely you wouldn’t want her to return to them.”
Garnet looked horrified at the thought.
“As you heard Dorcas say, she and my wife were sisters. The truth is a bitter one: I was young, foolish, and lonely. In a matter of one slim week, I met and married Naomi. Eight years we were wed, and not a single day passed without strife. Naomi was the mother of my children, and I will not speak against her. Suffice it to say, I will never again marry.”
That same sad smile crossed her features as she tapped her breastbone and shook her head.
“You are a widow and were sold to cover your husband’s debts. Are you telling me ’twas not a happy union?” Her expression was more eloquent than words. “It grieves me to know your marriage brought you no contentment. If you remain, you won’t have to marry just to keep a roof over your head and food in you.”
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she let out a silent exhalation, then looked at him. Gratitude gleamed in her eyes, turning them silver. Her lips moved, forming Thank you.
“Before you thank me, I would be honest with you.” He rubbed his sweaty palms on the knees of his worn breeches. “There’s no doubt in my mind: Erasmus will be a thorn in our sides. He tried to sully your virtue and damage my reputation. Alas, I expect him to persist.”
Her lips twisted into a wry smile, and she shrugged.
Glad that she had the courage to put up with the be-deviling they’d inevitably suffer from the Ryders, Sam dared to ask what he’d hoped for since the day he bought her. “I granted you your freedom, and so you are free; yet I ask you now, Garnet Wheelock, to give me your promise to remain here as a valued member of my family.”
She pressed her hands together.
“Would you have me pray, or are you asking for time to pray, yourself?”
She scooted off the log and cast a look at the distance.
“Aye. Go and talk with the Lord. It is fitting to seek His wisdom in all things.” Garnet disappeared behind a grove of trees, and Samuel turned his attention on the children. Ethan handed Hester a little boat he’d made from a bit of bark and a leaf. She squealed with joy and set it in the water. As it started to float, she wrapped her arms around Ethan’s waist and hugged him. By the time she looked back, her boat had drifted out of reach. She let out a cry and started to go after it. For an instant, Samuel started to rise.
Christopher grabbed Hester by the waist and twirled her back onto dry land. “Let’s go make more!”
Seeing Christopher attend Hester allowed Sam to sit back down. Garnet showed wisdom in seeking the Lord’s will. Sam rubbed his hands on his knees again. I’m never anxious, yet I’m even more nervous than when I asked Naomi to wed me. Naomi was a stranger to me; the widow abides beneath my roof and has proven to be of excellent character. She is kind beyond telling and holds great affection for the children. Surely that will sway her to make this commitment.
But what if she doesn’t?
The Eighty-fourth Psalm ran through his mind, and he recited it aloud. “ ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ Father of light, You have blessed me richly. I place my trust in You. If it be Your will, press upon the widow’s heart how desperately we need her. Be my family’s shield against Erasmus’s plots. Safeguard us and be the sunlight that illuminates the path we are to follow. In Christ Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Father!” Hester beckoned him. “Come make boats with us!”
Sam gathered several leaves, twigs, and bits of bark, then went and sat at the edge of the stream. Hester plopped into his lap, and Sam enveloped her in his arms. Hester didn’t stay long. She hopped up and set the next boat a-sail. Pleasure rippled through Sam as he watched his children frolic. Finally, he stood. “It’s time we went home.”
Garnet sat over on the log. One look at her expression, and Sam’s heart fell.
eleven
I promiss. Garnet had written the words because deep in her heart she knew God wouldn’t have brought her across the ocean and put her through all of her trials without having a purpose. During her prayer, a sense of certainty filled her that His intent was to allow her the joy of children and a family without ever having to wed again. In the three weeks she’d been with the Walshes, she’d been provided for and treated with kindness and respect. Even so, Garnet didn’t believe in making promises lightly. Writing those two words committed her, and she felt the gravity of her vow as she waited for Master Walsh.
“Look!” Hester pointed. “Widow Wheelock wrote us a message! What does it say?”
Ethan ran ahead, but Garnet kept her gaze on Master Walsh. “I promise,” Ethan read aloud, and relief transformed his father’s features.
“What do you promise, Widow Wheelock?” Christopher’s brows furrowed, momentarily making him look exactly as his father had on other occasions.
“I asked her to give us her word that she would remain here.” Joy radiated from Samuel, and he scooped Hester into his arms. “Because of your promise and generous spirit, Garnet, my family is together, and my daughter will learn how to keep a happy home. We are all beholden to you for all you have done and will do.”
“And I’ll help you.” Hester hooked one arm around his neck and twisted toward Garnet. “We can garden and cook, and whilst you spin, I can card wool. Aunt Dorcas set me to that task every day.”
“That’s a fine plan.” Samuel tickled Hester’s tummy. “I suppose I ought to shear the sheep on the morrow, then.”
“But I was to go get salt,” Christopher said.
“And so you will. I’ll accompany you to the Mortons’, and after Falcon and I shear his sheep, we’ll come here and do ours. I’m sure Goodwife Morton would be amenable to sharing a chore with Widow Wheelock. You and Aaron bring the salt here, and we’ll all preserve the fish together.”
Garnet wiped the slate and wrote as quickly as she could, Ruth asked preecher to supper.
“Yes, she did.” Samuel shrugged. “Henry, John, and Peter Morton could give the message to the reverend, then walk over here to fetch Ethan. Ethan, you may use the wheelbarrow so you boys can go gather beechnuts, butternuts, walnuts, and acorns. Until the Morton boys arrive, I want you and Hester to go pick the last of t
he beans and peas.”
They all walked back to the house. Ethan lifted the re-corder from the table and handed it to Garnet. “Would you please play a tune?”
Garnet thought a moment, then began to play the simple notes.
Samuel Walsh sat by the hearth and cuddled his daughter close as he began to sing, “ ‘Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. . . .’ ” The fierce tenderness of his hold and the sincerity of his voice touched Garnet deeply.
The next day, Garnet heard Master Walsh singing that same hymn as he set out toward the Mortons’. Garnet set to work at once. She wanted to accomplish several tasks ere Ruth arrived.
Just past midmorning, Ruth arrived. She barely scrambled down from her wagon ere she dashed off and purged her stomach.
Garnet dampened a rag, knelt beside her, and blotted her friend’s face.
“Don’t fret over me. I’m not sickening.” Ruth managed a wan smile. “I told Falcon this morn that we’re to be blessed with another child. The first months, my stomach puts up a fight.”
Empathy flooded Garnet. She’d always been hale, but when her husband had gambled away all they owned, hunger drove her to eat food that must have been spoiled. She hadn’t recovered from that ere they put her aboard the ship and seasickness plagued her.
Ruth took the rag and passed it over her own face. “Don’t look so worried, Garnet. The time I carried Mary, I was sickest of all. Since the nausea is bad again this time, I’m hoping the babe will be a girl.”
Fleetingly running her hand across Ruth’s tummy, Garnet frowned. She couldn’t feel so much as a tiny hint of a babe.
“No, I won’t show for a few months yet. By then, the sickness will cease. It only lasts the first few months.”
Garnet rose and helped Ruth stand.
“Samuel made me promise that you’d nap after nuncheon.” Ruth let out a small laugh. “In truth, ’twas a promise easily made. Whene’er I’m carrying, fatigue nigh unto overwhelms me at midday.”
Staring at Ruth, Garnet couldn’t respond.
“I won’t feel quite so guilty resting since you will, too. Garnet? Garnet!”
Everything inside her started shaking, and no matter how hard she tried, Garnet couldn’t draw a breath.
“Here. Come here now.” Ruth tugged her over a few yards and leaned her against the split rail fence.
“Mama? I brought you water.” Mary held out the dipper.
“Nicely done.” Ruth took it. “Take Hubert and Hester with you and go a-gathering. We’ll need herbs aplenty when the fish arrives.”
“Is the widow ailing again, Mama? She’s wan as can be.”
“Off with you, Mary. Do my bidding.” Ruth pressed the dipper to Garnet’s mouth. “Sip this. We must talk.”
Having carried many children, Ruth asked some piercing questions and pressed one of Garnet’s hands between her own. “You carry a life within you. You’re shocked, but things will work out. By my reckoning, you have almost five months to go—that’s time aplenty for you to get used to the fact and prepare.”
Misery swamped Garnet. As a little girl, she’d dreamed of her future. She’d marry a man who cared for her, and they’d have babes to cradle. Her dreams came to naught but nightmares. Her husband had given her nothing but heartache and a babe he’d not be around to support.
And what will Samuel Walsh say? Surely, when he asked me to stay, he didn’t anticipate I’d have a child.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Accustomed to marshaling her sizable family, Ruth took over and organized chores for the children and kept Garnet busy.
“We finished faster than we expected.”
Samuel’s voice made Garnet spin around.
“I confess,” he said as he put the spring-back shears on the table, “ ’twas the thought of eating a tasty nuncheon that spurred Falcon and me to shear his flock so quickly.”
“You’ll have wool aplenty to spin this winter.” Falcon gave his wife an affectionate pat.
“Father!” Henry burst through the doorway. “We just brought back our third wheelbarrow full of nuts!”
“Bring back a fourth; then you may eat.” Ruth shooed him away and tugged on her husband’s hand. “Come, Falcon.” A moment later, Ruth shut the door, leaving Samuel and Garnet alone in the keeping room.
Samuel gave Garnet a quizzical look. “Ruth’s behaving oddly. Do you suppose ’tis because she’s increasing? Falcon told me they will be blessed with another child.”
Slowly shaking her head, Garnet took up the slate. She bit her lip, gathered all of her courage, and wrote down a few words.
❧
I have babe to.
For a moment, Sam stared at the slate and felt a bolt of sheer anger. I had everything planned. This will ruin it. Sam tore his gaze from those stark words and looked at Garnet. “You’re with child.”
Eyes wide and glistening, she nodded and swiped away the first message.
I can’t tell whether she’s happy or devastated. The first noontime Ruth came to call, she inquired if this might be a possibility, yet I banished it from my mind. ’Twas foolish of me.
Garnet caught her lower lip between her teeth. Laboriously, she scribed, You want me to lea—
“Give me that.” Sam yanked away the slate and set it on the mantel. Curling his hands around her upper arms, he pivoted. “Sit, Garnet.”
She sank onto the bench and clenched her hands in her lap. Though he’d considered her already pale, all color bled from her face.
“Am I to take it that you’ve just realized your condition?”
Her head bobbed a jerky affirmative.
Naomi resented carrying our children. She made life miserable because she— He caught himself. I cannot compare Garnet to her. Garnet is a different woman and has displayed nothing but a sweet temperament.
“This changes nothing.” As Sam voiced those words, resolve built within him. “No, it doesn’t.” He rested one knee on the bench and tilted her face up to his.
The cloudy tint to her eyes testified to her confusion and concern.
“Neither of us counted on this eventuality, but the Lord chose to quicken a life within you, and we bow to His wisdom.” Though he spoke the truth, it sounded harsh. Sam couldn’t honestly say this development pleased him, but the widow oughtn’t be made to feel guilty. He cleared his throat. “Widow Wheelock, you promised to stay and help my children. I make that same promise in return. I will provide for your child as I would for my own.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Sam couldn’t tell the cause of her tears—relief? grief? delight? But he had no right to ask such personal questions. Having the babe would strain her. She was not yet fully recovered from her ordeals. A thought shot through him. “Garnet, ’tis a difficult question I pose you, but I would know: In the time since your husband died, has any man forced himself upon you?”
She shook her head.
“So your husband sired the babe.” Relief flooded Samuel. The Almighty had spared her that horrific burden. “You will continue to abide here, and we’ll pray the Lord gives you succor in the months ahead.”
Her narrow shoulders straightened. Garnet wiped away her tears, and determination painted her features. She took up the slate and wrote, This changes no thing.
The very words I spoke to her. Samuel nodded once with great emphasis. “This alters nothing whatsoever.” In his mind, he agreed completely, but his heart called him a liar.
With all of the children at the table, nuncheon passed quickly and without any further discussion of the pregnancy. As soon as he finished his bowl of stew, Samuel rose. “We’ve sheep to shear.”
Falcon stood. “And you have three more than I. We’ll have them done by the time Brooks arrives with the fish.”
Once they were out in the barn, Sam let out a heavy sigh. “Ruth told you?”
“Aye.” Falcon said nothing more. They set to work, but instead of the jocularity they’d enjoyed that morn, the men remained
silent. Finally finishing the last ewe, Falcon said, “Even with Brooks fetching the sturgeon, I need to replenish my smokehouse. What say you to us going hunting?”
“Venison would suit me.”
“After that turkey you shot, Ruth’s been after me to get a few.”
“It made for good eating.”
Falcon leaned back and studied Sam’s face. “Left to your own devices, you or Christopher would have burned it o’er the fire. You might think to dwell on the improvements in your life now that the widow is here.”
“The problem with sage advice is that ’tis easier to give than to live. Nonetheless, Hester is home. For that, I’ll endure—”
Ruth cleared her throat loudly.
Sam wheeled around. Ruth wasn’t alone. The shattered look on Garnet’s face told him she’d heard his thoughtless words.
twelve
“The first shot downed that stag,” Samuel Walsh said. “Widow Wheelock is the one who loaded my flintlock. Her red hair about the trigger reminded me so. She ought to take some credit for the fine venison we’ll all be eating.”
Garnet pretended she hadn’t heard him. She’d rinsed the tripe thrice, making it suitable for casing sausage. Ruth and Mary both chopped the bits of meat left over after Sam and Falcon both butchered their bucks.
“I can tell you fattened your swine with milk and corn. ’Twill be tasty,” Ruth said. “Are you sure you want to share the pork?”
Garnet nodded emphatically.
“You know venison sausage alone tastes gamey. The hog was of great size, and adding the pork to the sausage will improve it.” Sam stared at the bucket of dill, fennel, onion, and garlic Garnet had washed, dried, and minced. “Adding Widow Wheelock’s spices will make for an excellent flavor.”
Garnet walked in the opposite direction and added more tansy to the steaming pots of water. The smell kept flies away from the butchering. If only there were a way to keep Master Walsh away. He spoke his mind to a friend, and I heard the truth. Surely he cannot believe fulsome praise will make me forget the truth. I am here by his sufferance.
Spoke Of Love Page 9
